2000 Ferrari F1-2000 Monoposto

Hope springs eternal at the beginning of every Formula One season. Each and every year there are a handful of teams that expect success, and possibly even a championship. Heading into 2000, Scuderia Ferrari would feel they finally had the upper-hand. This perception would become reality.

From 1997 onwards Scuderia Ferrari had come close. They had managed to secure the Constructors' World Championship, but still, the Drivers' Championship continued to elude the famed stable. It had now been more than 20 years since Ferrari last had a World Champion driver of its own.

Rule changes heading into 1998 would encourage Rory Byrne to evolve Barnard's F310B design. Then, in 1999, Byrne and Brawn would work on an updated concept. Called the F399, the car would be very competitive over the course of the season earning six victories and a constructors' title for Ferrari. However, broken legs suffered by Schumacher in the British Grand Prix would force Ferrari to turn all of its efforts into supporting Eddie Irvine. It was halfway through the season and would prove a little too late to wrestle the drivers' title from Mika Hakkinen.

Such things as broken legs are always beyond the control of a team. However, it was possible to build the best car possible. This was something Ferrari would set about doing for Schumacher and newcomer Rubens Barrichello in 2000.

Utilizing the same gearbox as that used on its predecessors, the new F1-2000 would certainly have some direct connections with the past. However, there would be some important new elements that would make it its own car.

These new elements would begin with an engine with a wider V-angle. The Tipo 049 engine would be a 3.0-liter V10 producing close to 800hp. This was not necessarily anything new. However, the 90 degree angle of the 'V' shape would be. The wider angle enabled the weight of the engine to be lower to the ground helping with the stability of the car.

Another aspect of the F1-2000 that would help the speed and overall handling of the car would be its improved aerodynamics. The move to narrower chassis a couple of years prior meant designs needed to be tighter and cleaner. Wheelbases increased in order to conceal all of the necessary components, but also, to give designers the room needed to take advantage of the airflow as much as possible.

The long, high nose would remain, as would the airbox design. There would be some important changes made to the sidepods of the car however that would help with airflow around the sides of the car. More sculpted tops would enable better cooling while the inlets could be reduced in frontal area.

The new F1-2000 would be a winner straight-away. In the hands of their two drivers, Ferrari would earn a one-two finish in the Australian Grand Prix, the very first round of the season. This success would be followed by three more wins in the next five races and four in the next seven. After a pour middle part of the season, Michael Schumacher would come on strong winning the last four races of the season and giving Ferrari its first drivers' championship in 21 years.

Chassis 198 would be built in the early part of the season and would actually spend most of its time as the team's spare car. However, at the Brazilian Grand Prix the car would earn it place in the sun and a spot in Scuderia Ferrari history.

During practice, Michael Schumacher would run into trouble and would be forced to turn to 198 to keep his race hopes alive. Michael would find himself right at home within the cockpit qualifying 3rd for the race. As if starting 3rd wasn't good enough for a debut, chassis 198 would come through in a strong way during the race. Almost all of the top finishers would run into trouble during scrutineering. However, when it was all said and done, Schumacher and 198 would come away the declared winners of the Brazilian Grand Prix. Therefore, chassis 198 would serve its purposes in the best possible fashion.

The chassis would be used from time to time over the course of the season. At the Spanish Grand Prix, Schumacher would take 198 and would qualify on the pole. He would lead most of the race but would end up running into fuel problems in the end and would finish in 5th place.

Michael would be again at the wheel of 198 for the biggest race of the season, the Monaco Grand Prix. Unfortunately, it would not be a good weekend for either Schumacher or 198. A broken pushrod would bring the race to an early end and would be one of the final times in which the chassis would be used in a race over the course of the 2000 season.

Chassis 198 would remain at the Ferrari factory and would end up being rebuilt by those at the factory. The car would remain with the factory and would end up being made available as part of the F1 Clienti events held throughout the world.

A grand prix winner and an important part of Schumacher's and Ferrari's championship winning season, chassis 198 would be a car not to be missed when it became available as part of the 2014 RM Auction in Monterey. Owning such a piece of Ferrari Formula One history would bring some exciting bidding. When the gavel fell, chassis 198 would garner $1,804,000.

By Jeremy McMullen